After reading how horrible ToR's F2P model is (seriously no support for preferred and F2P players?) I have wondered how would you convert WoW to a F2P model. Assume a subscription still exists and grants the same benefits it does now, namely everything is free. So how would you make F2P not only fun to play but not feel liek you're being cockblocked and forced to pay, always a factor when I play F2P games, and enticing enough for F2Pers to subscribe.

Model 1: Purchased "Boxed" game

Core game features like leveling and initial dungeons and raids free up to and including level cap

Limit in some manner for max level raids and dungeons. Maybe first month after purchase no limits on raiding for F2P purchasers, but after a month they get limited on number of loot rolls, or instance/raid IDs they can have.

Small patches like 5.1 go for around $5.

Larger patches that introduce new raiding tiers could push to around $15.

Secondary game elements like Pet Battles and Brawlers Guild would be one time purchases

Limited AH postings.

Limit on daily quests they can do.

Model 2: free to play with in game purchasable feature unlocks.

Leveling free, leveling dungeons free.

1 profession and 1 secondary profession free, unlocks for second prof and all secondary profs.

Unlock for unlimited heroics, 3 free per week.

Unlock per raid instance or tier

Extremely Limited AH postings to 25 or so. People can still play it and get unlocks for in game gold but it wont be quick or easy.

Unlock for secondary spec

Unlock for fastest flying levels

Basically unlocks for a lot of convenience and cosmetic features.

Same patch cost as the boxed model

We live in a society where people born on third base constantly try to steal second, yet we expect people born with two strikes against them to hit a homerun on the first pitch.

While raiding would be open to all, you would be at least a tier behind, waiting for the epic items to drop from Valor points to Honor points so that you could buy them. You could probably clear the initial raid level in blues, but since you'd get no drops, it would be strictly for the challenge of it.

Raid content would pretty much require micro-transactions in order to progress.

Effectively the same would go for PvP. You could participate, but not really stand a chance of winning unless you buy some Conquest points to get some gear.

Your basic F2P person could quest all he wants, on foot, and run as many dungeons as he likes, including heroics. He would not have any access to current-tier Epic quality items unless crafted, but since crafting them would require real money, it's unlikely he could get crafted pieces either.

Nobody would get any raid drops unless they elect to use a Charm of Good Fortune, which would then assign loot as it does now, with the exception that you would not receive a duplicate item that you have in your current inventory, bank, or void storage.

Gear would be designed to be the "carrot". In addition to the iLvl boost for epic quality items, such items would look much better than the common or rare items. People who pay to play would be recognizable because they would look like nobility among peasants. Their gear would be detailed and look fantastic. Common items would be dull and drab, and rare items would look only slightly better.

Pay to win...? Not fun and has never been a succesful business model afaik. You should NOT be able to purchase character power in F2P games. Maybe purchase boosts to the rate gain or similar but not allowing non-paying customers a way to obtain character power items that paying customers have alienates a possibly large portion of your player base.

I quite like the LOTRO model - paying for zones (i.e. access to quests and instances in them). It's not really free - you have to pay to get a decent experience, but it's honest and an interesting alternative to paying a subscription. It would work best for games that are not updated so regularly - i.e. which lack the content to justify a subscription.

In WoW, you could make the level 1-58 zones free, you get through it so quickly anyway. Have one off charges for BC, Wrath, Cata and MoP. If you want to keep a subscription option, you might have to exclude the MoP content or at least put limits on the instances/PvP stuff (pay to raid/arena/RBGs, caps on other stuff).

Some aspects of the LOTRO model I don't like - the stats tomes are just too transparently pay to win. If WoW goes that way (like the Diablo real money AH), it will be annoy a lot of people.

The Star Wars model is actually extremely generous in that the leveling experience is completely free and, imo, wonderful. The problem with that game is the endgame and charging for that questionable part of the product, while giving away the best part of the game, is a bizarre decision and indicates how desperate the company is.

econ21 wrote:The Star Wars model is actually extremely generous in that the leveling experience is completely free and, imo, wonderful. The problem with that game is the endgame and charging for that questionable part of the product, while giving away the best part of the game, is a bizarre decision and indicates how desperate the company is.

1. They're not desperate, since going to their F2P model they've been making money hand over fist, stopped the bleeding and are in fact hiring on new people/hiring back laid off people again.2. They're giving away the levelling content free... except with a whole bunch of pain added in if you're not a subscriber. The amount of baseline stuff they straight up nerfed from the gameplay experience, including levelling only stuff like rest XP and XP gain rate, and totally insane shit like action bars is truly amazing to me. Given how constantly behind I was levelling in that game and how hard it is compared to games like WoW and GW2... I don't know how anyone can join up now as F2P and not hate the hell out of that levelling experience.

The XP penalty (you get about half the xp a sub does and no rested) means you can literally run out of content but not be leveled for it. The constant UI reminders "this is for subscribers only" gets a little old. Then there is the inane stuff like having to pay to display your titles, hide your head slot, etc.

TORWars actually has a really good breakdown on it, though I think as a fan site, they are a little more postitive than I would be.

The GW2 method seems to work.Fee to buy the game, then a micro transaction model, as well as certain things like bonus bagslots costing blue gems to unlock. You can either farm the gold to buy the gems (current cost around 1.5g per 100 gems) or use real money to buy gems.

Ellifain @ Khaz'Goroth does not approve of torture, save where there's experience/rep/loot involved.

I think it would be far more profitable for them to introduce cheaper and bulk package server transfers / faction changes, then start merging realms with high A/H differentials. Those measures would increase player patience for a slowing rate of quality content output, and if MoP is any indication they really are planning only to accelerate their output.

At some point ludicrously far in the future when they are prepared to release another major subscription-based MMO to take the crown, they will roll the entire concept of a WoW subscription into a Battle.Net subscription and charge the standard $60/$65 for the new game. It would be some, cheaper monthly amount to play WoW only at that point.

The only reason F2P really works is that nobody wants to be paying more than one subscription. As long as Blizzard doesn't compete with themselves, they have no reason to descend from the throne of money.

Disclaimer: I quit the night before cata released, so I'm not too in touch with what's happened since.

I'd try to follow something similar to League of Legends, mostly offering convenience/aesthetic things for microtransaction purchase.

Perhaps transmogrification could cost a small fee($1-$2 or so), same with haircuts/dance studio. Players might be able to buy additional textures for tier/pvp sets. Pay to unlock additional character customization options etc.

Pay for alt bonuses, such as bind on account items, low level mounts, temporary xp boosts or perhaps xp nerfs for the completionists out there. These would ONLY be available for people with characters at level cap, and are temporarily disabled when a new xpac releases until the account gets a character to level cap.

Pay to transfer characters between accounts.

Pay to unlock additional character slots on a given server.

Perhaps offering a pay to unlock epic mount and epic flight training, all other traingings still only available for gold.

Perhaps vanity pets/special mounts could be transitioned to be mostly paid items.

New item only available for cash purchase: Rose tinted goggles of <insert raid name>

Equipping rose tinted goggles for a particular raid will reduce your character to the appropriate level for the raid in question, give whatever abilities and talent trees were current with that raid's release, and a tier set for that raid.

Basically, pay to unlock old school content with content-appropriate talents, skills, and equipment, for those who are nostalgic.

I seriously would consider picking wow back up again if this was a thing.

Courage not of this earth in your eyesFaith from far beyond lies deep inside